Distant Character
by Melissa Mendelson
Summary: Before the B.A.U. can finally enjoy their peace and quiet, a case of bizarre murders is brought to their attention, leading them into the world of Heroes.


Winter Return/Distant Character

By, Melissa Rachel

Copyright5/24/07

"_**The definition of character is not told by their actions but felt by their hearts**_." M.

Endless quiet fills the halls of the B.A.U. No phones scream to be answered. Hardly any papers rustle on any desk. A few faces pass by each other, but no words are exchanged. It is a sign of another quiet day, but sometimes those signs themselves can be a lie.

"Hey, J.J. Looks like another quiet day." Supervisory Special Agent Derek Morgan approaches the desk of Supervisory Special Agent Jennifer "JJ" Jareau.

"Shhh. Don't jinx us, Morgan. I was just getting used to this slow period of time." Her smile fades as she sees a man enter the B.A.U. with a large crate in his hands. "See what you did?" He follows J.J.'s gaze over to the man.

"Sorry." Grinning, Morgan approaches the man. "Hey. Can I help you?"

"Yeah, I'm looking for the B.A.U."

"Well, you found us, Mr…"

"Detective actually. Detective Liam Jones." He continues to hold the crate with both of his hands.

"Well, how can we help you, detective?" Morgan now looks at the crate. "What's in the crate?"

"A lot of files." The detective walks past him and toward J.J.'s desk. "A lot of cases that were closed too fast."

"What kind of cases?" J.J. stands up from her desk as the man places the crate on it.

"Murder cases." He pops the lid off the crate and looks down at the files.

"There's almost a hundred cases in here." J.J. flips through some of the top ones. "These people were all murdered?"

"Yeah." The detective looks from J.J. to Morgan. "They were all murdered by the same girl." J.J. and Morgan exchange looks.

Sitting before Special Agent Aaron Hotchner, Detective Liam Jones leans back in his seat and folds his hands together in his lap. His eyes move from Hotchner to J.J., who sits next to him. His gaze then returns to Hotchner, who flips through some of the top files.

"According to what I have read, detective, these people died of heart failure not murder." Hotchner picks up another folder and flips through it. "How can this girl cause heart failure in people?"

"Because she can."

"But it's impossible." The detective turns to look at J.J. "Nobody has such an ability to do this." She watches the detective stand up from his seat. "Why would you think that this girl would murder all those people?"

"My colleague has a point. Why would someone murder these people?"

"Because they're bad guys! They are serial killers, rapists, murderers, and some of them have been on the Most Wanted List for a long time. She deliberately went after them. She told me that she was going to do this, and she is doing this!" The detective stares at his feet.

"What? You met with this girl?" The detective turns to look at Hotchner. "And you didn't arrest her then for premeditated murder?"

"I guess you could say that she disappeared before I had the chance to arrest her."

"How long ago was it when you met her?" His gaze now turns to J.J.

"Two-years ago." He watches them exchange glances.

"And you knew what she was going to do?" He looks back at Hotchner. "So, what? You gave her a little time to kill these people if she did kill these people?"

"She saved my family. She saved me, so, yeah, I gave her a little time." The detective looks at the crate. "I just never thought that it would be so many people."

"It still doesn't answer the question on how she killed these people." J.J. remains sitting in her seat. "A person can't cause heart failure. It's not possible."

"Not unless they have the ability to do so." Hotchner and J.J. stare at the detective. "She's like a vampire. She needs life to live."

"Okay. I heard enough." Hotchner drops the files back into the crate and puts the lid on top of it. "I don't know what you hoped to accomplish here, detective, but we are not in the business of chasing ghosts or vampires." He gestures for the detective to take the crate. "Thank you, but we have to turn you down." He looks at J.J., who slowly nods.

"So, now, you are going to let her kill more people?"

"She is not killing people, detective! They are dying from natural causes not murder!" Hotchner pushes the crate toward him. "People like her simply do not exist." He and the detective stare at each other.

Suddenly, the detective's cell phone goes off. He looks from Hotchner to J.J. Slowly turning away from them, he answers his phone. "Yeah. What! What! How many… Oh my God. Okay. Thank you. I know I am on leave, but I appreciate this. Thank you." He closes his phone and turns toward Hotchner. "Someone like her simply does not exist, huh? Well, ten street thugs were just found dead in New York City, and their cause of death was heart failure. Is that coincidence, or was that murder?" He watches Hotchner and J.J. look at each other before they looked back at him.

Hotchner, Morgan, and Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss step out of a black SUV and confront a crime scene that they never thought they would ever see. Ten body bags are lined up next to each other. The C.D.C. is conducting tests for poison or anything else that could have killed the street thugs. Police officers, E.M.T.'s, and the media are crawling across the entire scene.

Spotting one gang member being treated by an E.M.T., Prentiss approaches them. Her eyes move from the young man's gaze to the body bags nearby. A moment later, her eyes lock with his, and part of her expects him to bolt. However, she is surprised that he is waiting to speak with her.

"What took you so long?"

"Excuse me?"

"I said what took you so long?" Prentiss looks at the E.M.T., who only shrugs at her.

"I'm… I'm confused. Were you expecting us?"

"I thought the feds would be called in if the cops believed me." Prentiss walks closer to him. "The cops didn't call you?"

"They did in a way. What did you tell them?"

"That my boys and I were going to have a takedown with this other gang, who was trying to cut in on our territory. Just as we pulled out our guns, this girl shows up. We turned on her, and the next thing that I know is that everyone drops down to the ground, dead." He looks at Prentiss's face. "You don't believe me either. Well, how the hell did everyone just die, and why wasn't I killed?"

"Did you ever kill anyone?"

"No. What does that matter?"

"What about your boys? Did they ever kill anyone?"

"Yeah. What's your point?" The young man suddenly realizes something. "She knew, didn't she? She knew that I never killed anybody before." Prentiss nods. "What the hell was that girl?"

"That I don't know." Prentiss walks away from him.

"Well, you have to find her. You have to stop her!" Prentiss closes her eyes as she hears the man yell after her. "She killed my boys! She killed my boys!"

Morgan and Hotchner survey the scene around them. They look at the apartments in front of them and then at a small playground nearby. Their gaze then moves over to the body bags and then to the C.D.C.

"These apartments are filled with families, Hotch. If these gangs had opened fire on each other, a lot of innocent people could have been harmed or even killed." Morgan looks at him. "She saved them."

"But she killed most of the gang members." He turns to see Prentiss walking away from the surviving gang member. "Detective Liam Jones was right. I don't know how this is possible, but he was right." He waits for Prentiss to join them. "Did he tell you anything?"

"Yeah. He said that a girl showed up just when they were about to shoot each other, and the next thing that he knew was that everyone except him was dead."

"Why didn't she kill him?" Prentiss looks at Morgan.

"Because he never killed anyone before, and she somehow knew that."

"This is like Science-Fiction." Morgan shakes his head. "Is it possible that this girl can kill like this? That she can just take someone's life by stopping their heart?"

"Apparently so." Hotchner turns to look at the media crews, who are taking interviews from responding police officers. "We need to keep this off the media's radar. The last thing that we want is to cause a panic because if people know that this girl is out there, then they would panic." He looks at Morgan and Prentiss.

"So, what do you suggest we do?" Morgan turns to look at the media crews. "The C.D.C. won't find anything, and there will still be a lot of unanswered questions." He looks at Hotchner.

"Let's get back to our headquarters, and then I suggest that we do a quiet search for this girl."

"Do we even know her name?" Prentiss looks from Morgan to Hotchner.

"It's Bailey. Bailey Winters." Hotchner starts to walk toward the SUV. "Let's go." He looks in the direction of the gang member, who is still watching them.

Following his gaze, Prentiss looks at the young man and then at Hotchner. "What about him?"

"They'll never believe him." Hotchner walks away as Prentiss continues to stare at the young man.

"Come on, Prentiss." Morgan walks ahead of her.

Senior Supervisory Special Agent Jason Gideon gazes at Detective Liam Jones, who continues to shift uneasily in his seat. Folding his hands in front of him, Gideon looks around his office and then at the detective. Sighing, he leans back in his own office chair and looks down at his hands. "Can you tell me more about the girl?" He looks at the detective.

"No. She looks like an ordinary girl. She has brown hair and brown eyes. There was nothing unordinary about her except…"

"Except for her ability." The detective nods. "I guess she would prove Darwin was right." Gideon sighs again. "I wonder if there are others like her, and we just don't know about them."

"For the last two years, there have been rumors flooding police stations everywhere about people that can walk through walls, create fire with a snap of their fingers, or just have super strength. Of course, most of us shake these rumors off, but after meeting Bailey, I have to wonder if there are more like her." The detective shifts again in his seat. "Why wasn't I allowed to go with your team to New York City?"

"Because they wanted to get an idea for themselves on this girl that you mentioned."

"And?" Gideon only shrugs in response. "When will we know anything?"

"Why were you on leave?" It's the detective's turn to sigh. "What happened?"

"I stopped playing by the book."

"Because of this Bailey Winters?" He watches J.J. walk into his office. "She must have left some impression on you."

"Gideon, detective, I just heard from Hotchner." J.J. stands near the detective as she looks from him to Gideon. "He gave the go ahead on the operation. I'm going to start going through the files now, and they should be back here soon." She starts to leave the office.

"Take the detective with you. I'm sure with his experience, he can assist you with going over those files." Nodding, the detective rises from his seat. "I'm going to see what I can personally find on Bailey Winters."

"Okay." J.J. gestures for the detective to follow her, and then she walks out of Gideon's office.

Analyst Penelope Garcia sips soda through a straw sticking out of a lidded cup as she waits for her computer to finish running a scan on Bailey Winters. She continues to sip her drink when her screen starts to flash. Slowly placing the drink down in her lap, she leans closer to read the message that popped up.

Suddenly, a pair of hands touches her shoulders, causing her to jump out of her seat. The lidded cup flies open and spills soda all over the floor. The lid with the straw still sticking through it rolls away from her chair as Garcia turns to see Gideon standing right behind her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." He watches Garcia compose herself. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." She touches the back of her head for a moment. "You caught me off guard." She turns to look back at the flashing message.

"I was just wondering if you had found anything yet."

"Actually, this message just popped up."

"What does it say?"

"It says that Bailey Winters died two-years ago." She turns to look at Gideon. "There is a death certificate made out for her, and she even had a small, private funeral afterward. She was buried at a Ridge Mont Cemetery, Lot 41."

"I guess we are hunting a vampire." Gideon starts to smile at his own joke when he sees the tension in Garcia's face. "Are you sure that you're okay?"

"Look, Gideon, we've seen some terrible things. We've seen some freaky things. However, nothing tops this. If this girl can do what the detective said she could do, then how are we going to find her, and when we find her, how are we going to stop her? She could kill all of you. She could do it and not blink." Garcia looks right at him. "I don't know what I would do if I lost any of you." Gideon puts a firm hand on her shoulder.

"You won't." Gideon gives her a reassuring smile. "Now, if the detective is right about this girl's identity, then who is buried in her lot?" He turns to look at the screen. "How far is her family from that cemetery?"

"They're about half an hour away." She turns to look at the screen. "Maybe we should leave this one alone."

"We can't. She just killed ten people today. Someone has to stop her." Gideon moves away from her. "Get me the address to that cemetery and to her family's home." He walks out of the room.

"I hope you guys know what you are doing." Garcia shakes her head as she prints out the information.

Piles of folders clutter a long, wooden table. Pictures of men and women that have been found dead are clipped to each cover of the folders. Notepads full of jotted notes add to the clutter as more files are opened and read.

"She's almost like one of those comic book characters that you read about." Supervisory Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid flips through a file. "There were many vigilante heroes that ran around in the comic book universe, delivering justice for their own reasons. Some of them did it because they felt the system couldn't bring justice to the villains, and some of them like Bailey didn't have a choice but to seek out justice." He looks around at the expressions on J.J. and Detective Jones's face. "What?"

"I think you read too many comic books, Reid." J.J. softly laughs.

"I think people like Bailey should stay in the comic book universe." He laughs despite his statement.

"I actually think it's cool if there are people walking around today with super powers." Reid puts the folder down.

"Do I have a super power?" Everyone turns to see Morgan standing in the doorway. "I always kind of liked the HULK." He sits down at the table. "So, other than Reid entertaining us with his comic book theories, have we found anything else out?"

"Actually, we did, Morgan." J.J. reaches for a notepad. "Out of the twenty-four months of her killing spree, Bailey Winters stopped completely for five months."

"What do you mean that she stopped?"

"It's like she fell off the map. There are no murders from November through March." Reid flips through his own notes. "For whatever reason, she stopped killing."

"But why would she?" The detective looks at everyone. "What would make her stop?"

"Love." Everyone turns to see Gideon standing now in the doorway. "She must have found someone to be with."

"But if she started right back in April…" Morgan looks from Gideon to the detective. "Something happened to him."

"That would explain the increase in her killings especially with today." Reid looks at Morgan. "She's angry, hurt, and…"

"And she wants justice." Detective Jones looks at Reid. "So, what do we do to find her before she kills again?"

"We go digging for the truth." The detective turns to look at Gideon.

"Hello? Hello? Is anyone there?" F.B.I. Agent Audrey Hanson sits at her desk with her phone pressed against her ear.

"We have a problem."

"Excuse me?"

"The B.A.U. is digging around Bailey Winters."

"Bailey Winters is dead."

"Come on, Agent Hanson. We both know the truth about her."

"Who is this?"

"Look, the point of this call is to inform you about the B.A.U., and in both our interests, I would suggest putting a stop to their investigation."

"Who is this!"

"They're digging up her grave, and when they do, they will find an empty casket. And the more that they dig for the truth, Agent Hanson, they will realize what you and I have been trying to conceal from the world. Think about it." The call is disconnected before Agent Hanson can say anything.

"Damn it!" She drops the phone back into its cradle.

Staring at the phone, Agent Hanson rubs her chin. She looks around the office to see if anyone else is around. Tapping her fingers against her desk, she turns to look back at the phone. Grabbing it out of its cradle, she dials in a number. "Yes, this is Agent Hanson. I just got a threatening phone call, and I want it traced. Let me know when you have the number and location of its call. Thank you." She hangs up the phone.

Stepping away from her desk, Agent Hanson pulls out her cell phone. She walks out into the hallway and down toward the ladies room. She punches in a number and listens to the ringing on the other end. "I'm sorry, Matt, but I need you for this."

"Hello?"

"Matt, it's Audrey. Look, don't hang up! I know things have been bad between us, but I need your help."

"I don't owe you anything, Audrey, remember?"

"Matt, I wouldn't be calling you if I didn't have a choice." A moment goes by. "_She's back, Matt. Bailey Winters is back_." Another moment goes by. "I just need to talk to you."

"Bailey is back?"

"You can hear my thoughts over the phone?"

"Yeah, Audrey. Now, tell me what is going on."

"She's back, Matt. Bailey Winters has come back." She waits for a response but doesn't get any. "Matt?"

"I'm here. Where do you want to meet?"

"You mind if I pick you up? We have to take a road trip."

"To where?"

"To Bailey's family." She doesn't hear a response. "Matt…"

"Pick me up before my wife gets home. You have twenty minutes, or do this without me." The call is disconnected.

"Damn it." Agent Hanson closes her cell phone. "Why the hell did she come back?" She walks into the ladies room.

A cold wind blows through Ridge Mont Cemetery. Dead earth rolls across its graves as a crane lifts one small, pine box out of the ground. The silence is deafening as the box hangs in the air for a moment. Gently dropped onto the ground, the coffin lays beside an empty grave as the B.A.U. agents slowly approach it.

"Okay." Hotchner looks at J.J., Prentiss and the detective. "Let's see who is inside." He starts to open the box with the assistance of Detective Liam Jones.

Prying the lid off the coffin, the sight of an empty box meets everyone's gaze. There is no trace of ever carrying a body inside of it. A scent of pine still clings to the wooden walls.

"See? I told you. I told you that she wasn't dead." Detective Liam Jones looks at the B.A.U. agents.

"Who would go through all this trouble to make it seem like she was dead?" Prentiss looks at everyone. "Why the conspiracy?"

"Because somebody else knew what she could do." Hotchner stares down into the empty box.

"That's far enough, Agent Hotchner." Everyone turns to see Agent Hanson and Matt Parkman approach them. "Put the lid back on the coffin, and have that crane lower the box back into the ground." She walks right up to Hotchner. "You had no business digging up this girl's grave."

"Excuse me. You are?" Agent Hanson flashes him her badge.

"F.B.I. Agent Audrey Hanson."

"F.B.I.? What's the F.B.I. doing involved with this case?" J.J. looks from Agent Hanson to Matt Parkman. "Is he a fed too?"

"No, I'm a cop." Matt ignores the look that Hanson shoots him.

"She asked a good question, agent. What is the F.B.I. doing involved with this case?" Hotchner continues to stand in front of Hanson.

"That's confidential, and your group has no business in this investigation."

"So, there is an investigation into Bailey Winters?" Prentiss stares at Hanson.

"Who called you?" Everyone turns to look at the detective. "How did you know where we were? How did you know what we were doing?" The detective walks up to Hanson. "Who called you?"

"You already asked that, pal." The detective turns to look at Matt.

"Yeah, but your friend here didn't answer my questions."

"I don't need to answer your questions, Detective Jones. You're on leave. You're not supposed to be running around, using a government branch for your ghost hunt."

"Ghost hunt?" The detective walks over to the empty coffin. "There's no body here, Agent Hanson. She's not dead."

"Well, maybe her body got lost on the way here." Agent Hanson looks at everyone. "Nobody has seen Bailey Winters for two-years now. She is still presumed dead."

"Really?" Agent Hanson and Matt Parkman look at Hotchner. "She's presumed dead. Well, if that's the case, then why did an eyewitness single her out last night after she killed ten street thugs?"

"What?" Matt Parkman looks from Hotchner to Audrey. "She killed ten people last night?"

"Supposedly." Hotchner studies him for a moment. "Supposedly, she has been killing for nineteen months. For whatever reason, she stopped for five months, but she started up again."

"How many people exactly has she killed?"

"Matt." Audrey gives him another warning look.

"No, Audrey. I want to know. How many people has she killed?" He steps in front of Audrey and toward Hotchner.

"You knew her." Matt blinks at his statement. "You knew what she could do."

"Just answer the question."

"Matt!"

"No, Audrey! I want to know! I want to know!" He glares at her and then at Hotchner. "How many!"

"Almost a hundred people." Matt stares in shock at the detective. "The list varies from murderers to rapists to robbers. In a blink of an eye, she just wiped them out." Matt stares at the ground. "If we don't stop her, more of these people are going to die." Matt looks at the detective.

"We know that she is alive, Mr. Parkman." Matt turns to look at Hotchner. "Help us stop her." He looks from Matt to Audrey. "Somebody has to."

"Matt…" Audrey sees the look on his face. "Fine. Fine. However, Agent Hotchner, this case is confidential. I don't want word of her existence leaking out to the media."

"I couldn't agree with you more, Agent Hanson."

"We might need the media."

"What?" Agents Hotchner and Hanson turn to look at Matt.

"There is no way that we can find her. We have to make her come to us."

"How do we do that?" Prentiss looks at him.

"I have an idea." Matt looks at everyone and then over at the empty grave.

Family pictures decorate the living room of Mrs. Winters's house. A small piano sits alone in the corner of the room with Bailey's picture on top of it. Photo albums, letters, and school pictures clutter the coffee table in the center of the room.

"Coffee?" Mrs. Winters offers a cup to Reid, Morgan, and Gideon. "I just brewed some."

"Thank you." Gideon is the only one that takes a cup of coffee.

"I'm not surprised that you came asking about Bailey." Mrs. Winters sits opposite the agents on another couch.

"Why's that?" Morgan looks at her.

"Because for almost a year now, I've been trying to get an answer on a strange letter that I received."

"What kind of letter?" Reid looks at her.

"Someone sent my husband and I a letter, stating that Bailey wasn't dead. There was no return address, and it was signed by a Mr. Bennet. We've been trying to track him down, but we've had no luck. Who contacted you?"

"Can we see the letter?"

"Sure." She looks at Gideon and nods. "Let me go get it." He watches her leave the room.

"So, she isn't dead." Morgan looks at Gideon.

"Yeah, but somebody tried to make it seem like she was."

"Why would somebody go through the trouble to make it seem like she was dead?" Reid looks at Morgan and Gideon.

"Because they knew about her ability." Morgan looks at him and then at Mrs. Winters, who returns with the letter.

"Thank you." Gideon takes the letter from her. "It's brief." He looks at the one paragraph on the letter. "It's straight to the point, and it is printed on formal paper. And you don't know this Mr. Bennet, who sent you the letter?" Mrs. Winters shakes her head.

"Is it a practical joke?" She looks at everyone. "Is she alive?" Everyone exchanges looks. "Is Bailey alive?"

"Yes." Gideon looks at her. "Bailey is alive." Mrs. Winters bursts into tears. "And we're going to find her." He walks over to Mrs. Winters and comforts her. "We're going to find her." He looks at Morgan and Reid.

Whispers of pain are heard within a motel room. Patches of red decorate the floor, leading toward the bathroom. More whispers of pain follow as the light inside starts to flicker.

Standing before the bathroom mirror, Bailey Winters digs into her shoulder. Blood pours down her hand. Closing her eyes, she finally feels the bullet and pulls it out. Her eyes watch the bullet fall into the sink before looking at the hole in her shoulder.

Rubbing her shoulder, the bathroom light starts to flicker again. She bites her tongue from the pain running through her. A moment later, the hole is gone, and she starts to wipe the blood off her skin.

Slowly sitting down on the bathroom floor, Bailey reaches for her left leg. She starts to dig into it, searching for another bullet. A scream escapes her mouth as she pulls it out.

Turning toward the toilet, Bailey throws up. She could feel the blood pouring out of her mouth. Shaking, she wipes her mouth and sits back down on the floor.

Rubbing her leg, another moment passes, and the hole is gone. The pain continues to run through her. She holds her leg for another moment before standing up from the floor.

Turning on the shower, Bailey hears a knock at her motel room door. She looks in the mirror at her underclothes that are soaked in blood. As more knocks are heard from the outside, she grabs a towel and wraps it around herself. "I'll be right there."

Opening the door, she sees a young man waiting outside. He looks at her in concern. Peering inside her room and then back at her, the man notices a red patch on her shoulder.

"You okay? I thought I heard screaming before."

"Yeah. Yeah, it was the TV. It wasn't me."

"You sure?" He steps closer. "Is that blood on your shoulder?"

"Actually, it's red paint. I'm an artist, and I'm covered in paint. Look, I was just going to take a shower. I'll keep the TV on low next time." She starts to close the door.

"Are you sure that you're okay?" The man stares at her intensely. "You look pale."

"I just need to take a shower. I'm fine, but thank you for your concern." She closes the door. "Please go away," she whispers, but she knows that the man is still standing outside. "Go away." She can hear dialing outside, and she knows that the man is punching in a number on his cell phone. "Damn it." She doesn't even have to hear the 911 operator asking the man what his emergency is.

"Hotchner."

"It's Garcia." Hotchner looks over at Hanson, who is driving behind the B.A.U.'s black SUV. "I just intercepted a 911 call. The girl matches Bailey Winter's description." He glances at Matt Parkman, who sits in the back passenger seat. "The police are responding to a motel in Ridge Mont."

"What motel?"

"The Sun Inn. The guy that called said that she was covered in blood."

"How far is that motel from our location?"

"You're about ten minutes away."

"Okay. Send me the directions on my pda." He disconnects the call and starts to dial in a number.

"What's going on?" Agent Hanson looks over at Hotchner.

"Gideon, it's Aaron. Listen, the police are responding to a 911 call at the Sun Inn. The girl matches Bailey Winter's description. Garcia is sending the directions to the inn over now." He listens for a moment. "Okay. We'll see you there."

"Is Bailey okay?" Hotchner turns to look at Matt Parkman.

"I don't know." He turns to look at Agent Hanson, who makes a sharp left, still following the black SUV.

Hurrying out of the shower, Bailey throws on a pair of jeans and grey sweater. She doesn't bother brushing her hair. She just stares down at three bullets now in the sink before turning to look at the bloody trail on the floor and on the toilet.

Hearing sirens outside her motel room, Bailey closes her eyes. She concentrates for a moment. When she opens them, she is standing outside the motel away from her room.

Ducking behind a large bush, she spies on the cops, who break into her room. They have their guns drawn as they walk inside. One officer sticks his head out a moment later, searching for any sight of her.

A few minutes pass by, and Bailey sees two black SUVs pull up in front of her motel room. She thought that they were all F.B.I. agents when she spots Detective Liam Jones stepping out of one of the vehicles. A moment later, Matt Parkman steps out of the other one, and Bailey's mouth nearly hangs open, shocked that he is there.

"_I thought you were dead, Matt_." Bailey continues to stay where she is. "_I thought you were dead_." Tears fill her eyes. "Crap." Matt Parkman turns in her direction.

"Matt?" Audrey approaches him.

"She's here." He looks around the area.

"Where is she?"

"I don't know, but she is watching us."

"Something wrong?" Morgan approaches them.

"No. No, nothing's wrong." Audrey looks at him.

"You sure?" Morgan crosses his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, we're sure." Matt looks at him.

"Then, come inside. You might want to see this." He walks back toward the motel room.

"_Matt, if you can hear me, leave me alone. Just leave me alone_."

"Sorry, Bailey. Not this time." He shakes his head.

"What is it?" Audrey looks back at him.

"She wants us to leave her alone. Audrey, we should tell them that she is here."

"And they will ask how we know that, and we can't tell them about you, Parkman. The less they know, the more contained the situation will be."

"That's bullshit, Audrey. People are going to know about people like me and her whether you like it or not."

"Hey, what's the problem?" Morgan walks back out of the room. "Something you want to tell me?" Audrey and Matt look at each other.

"She's here." Matt looks at Morgan.

"What!"

"Bailey Winters is here."

"He's psychic, Morgan. That's why I brought him along." Matt shoots Audrey a dirty look. "If he says that she is here, then she is here."

"Okay, Mr. Psychic, where is she?"

"I don't know, but she is watching us right now." He closes his eyes, trying to sense her. "Damn it. She's gone." He hurries over to where Bailey was hiding, but there is no sign of her now. "She was just here." He looks around, knowing that she is still nearby. "Where did she go?"

"What's going on?" Hotchner walks over to them.

"Our friend here is a psychic. He claims that Bailey Winters was just here." Hotchner turns to look at Matt Parkman.

"Let's have the police scan the area, see if we can find her." Nodding, Morgan walks off. "Is there anything else that we should know, Agent Hanson?" He looks at her.

"No." She walks past him as Hotchner turns to look at Matt Parkman.

"Do you know where she went?"

"If I did, I would tell you." He walks past Hotchner. "I want to find her as badly as you do."

"I hope so." Hotchner follows them to the motel room.

A distance away, Bailey turns to look at the motel. She shivers from being cold and wraps her arms around herself. Slowly turning from the motel, she starts to hitch for a ride.

Walking outside the Sun Inn, Hotchner carries two cups of coffee over to Matt Parkman. He sits next to him on a stoop outside the main office. Handing him a coffee, he watches Parkman slowly take it from him.

"Thank you." Matt drinks the coffee.

"You okay?" Hotchner stares at him. "You looked like you were going to be sick when you saw the bathroom."

"I'm okay." Matt stares at the rooms nearby.

"You care about her, don't you?" Hotchner drinks his coffee. "I don't think she is a cold-blooded killer."

"She's not."

"I'm sure if she had the choice, she wouldn't be doing what she is doing."

"You're right."

"So, what happened to her?" Matt looks at Hotchner. "Why is she doing this? Is she just trying to survive?"

"It's more likely that she is trying to get herself killed." Matt holds the coffee in his hands. "I mean… She was almost killed last night. What was she thinking? She already died twice in my arms both times." Matt looks away. "I can't go through that again."

"She did stop for awhile." Matt looks at him. "We think that something happened to him, and that's why she started up again."

"What do you mean?"

"She stopped for five months. She just stopped killing." Hotchner continues to drink his coffee. "She lost him." He stares down at the cup in his hands.

"She never had a chance. She never had a chance to get her life back."

"Is there anything that we can do to help her?" Matt shakes his head.

"There's no cure for her. We've already been down that road."

"When was the last time that you saw her?"

"Two years ago in New York City."

"It must have been around the same time that she met with Detective Jones."

"What?"

"She met with the detective at a diner in New York City, and then according to him, she just disappeared."

"The last time I saw her, she said that she had something important to do. How does that detective fit into all this?"

"Apparently, she saved his family." Hotchner looks at Matt. "I want to stop her, Matt, but I don't want to hurt her. I think she's been hurt enough." Matt nods. "Are you ready to do your idea?"

"Yeah. We know that she is in the area, so she'll be listening."

"Okay. Let's call the press conference." Hotchner stands up from the ground. "You ready?"

"Yeah." Matt stands up from the ground. "She's not going to come to us quietly."

"I know, but she doesn't leave us many options." He pats Matt on the shoulder. "Come on." Matt walks beside him. "Can I ask one question?" He stops to look at him.

"What?"

"You're not really psychic, are you?" The two of them laugh for a moment.

"No, I'm not." Nodding, Hotchner starts walking again as Matt follows him.

Like a calm sea, white sheets lie quiet as a lone figure sits on top of them. Creases run through them as the person shifts in their position. Like a thunderous crash, a fist disrupts the quiet and pounds on the sheets.

Holding a picture of her and a man, Bailey Winters stares intently at it. Tears run down her face. Her hands are curled into fists. Her eyes dart from the picture to a TV set on mute.

Seeing a picture of her on the TV, Bailey jumps out of her motel bed and runs over to it. She flips the sound on as Hotchner and Matt Parkman stand before a group of reporters outside of the Sun Inn. Slowly getting back into bed, she listens to the press conference.

"This press conference is to call attention to the disappearance of this young woman, Bailey Winters. We believe that she is in the area, and we are asking anyone that may have seen her to call the number at the bottom of your screen. We believe that she could be in danger, and we are asking for the public's help in finding her. Thank you." Hotchner walks away from the reporters.

"Why can't you people leave me? Why can't you leave me alone!" She turns to look at the picture that she left on the bed. "What am I supposed to do?" She continues to look at the picture. "What am I supposed to do?" She turns toward the TV as more tears run down her face.

Closing his cell phone, Gideon walks over to Hotchner and Reid, who are standing outside of the Sun Inn. His gaze shifts over to Agent Hanson and Matt Parkman, who stand near each other. His focus returns to Hotchner. "A woman just called the police, and she told them that she picked up Bailey not too far from here."

"Where did she take her?"

"Into town." He looks at Hotchner. "I guess he was right." He glances at Matt Parkman. "She was here when we arrived, but how did he know that?"

"What's more important is where did Bailey go." Hotchner looks at Gideon and at Reid.

"She couldn't go too far. From what we saw in the bathroom, she was hurt. I'm surprised that she didn't go to a hospital."

"She knew that we were looking for her, and that would be the first place that we would check." Gideon sighs. "She's a smart girl, but she's foolish. She almost got herself killed taking down those gang members."

"She's being reckless."

"Maybe she is being reckless because she never got over losing whoever she was with." Hotchner and Gideon turn to look at Reid. "She might be looking for someone to end her life."

"Let's hope that's not the case." Hotchner turns to look at Matt Parkman, who is watching them.

"Hey, we have her on the phone." Morgan hurries out of a motel room and gestures for all of them to follow him.

"Bailey? Bailey Winters?"

"Yes."

"This is Agent Hotchner."

"Why are you looking for me?"

"Because of all the people that you killed."

"What people?"

"How about the ten street thugs last night?" Silence is his response. "Bailey, we know that you are hurt. Turn yourself in. We can get you the help that you need."

"You can't help me."

"Bailey, it's Matt." He steps next to Hotchner and near the speakerphone. "Just come in, okay? It's over."

"It's not over until I say it is, Matt."

"What are you going to do, Bailey? Kill more people?"

"They're not people. They're monsters, and I'm doing what is right."

"You're murdering people, Bailey!" Hotchner places a hand on Matt's shoulder.

"Bailey, you have to stop this." Hotchner leans closer to the phone. "You have to stop what you are doing."

"Or what? You'll kill me?" Hotchner glances at Reid, who stands nearby. "Go ahead and try. I've died before."

"Bailey, we know that you are hurt, that you lost someone close." Detective Liam Jones approaches the speakerphone. "Don't let this turn you into a monster."

"Detective Liam Jones. I'm not surprised you're there."

"Will you turn yourself in?" He ignores the look that Matt gives him.

"No." Silence follows a moment later. "Don't look for me again, or I'll look for you." The line goes dead.

"Did we get a trace on the call?" Hotchner turns to look at Morgan, who nods.

"It doesn't matter." Matt looks at them. "She won't be there when we get there."

"Well, what are we supposed to do? Just let her go?" Prentiss looks at him.

"She's going to kill someone else." J.J. looks at him.

"Matt, do you know where she is going?" Hotchner turns to look at him.

"You told him?" Agent Hanson glares at Matt.

"Told him what?" The detective looks at them.

"Matt?" Agent Hanson shakes her head.

"Look, the important thing is finding Bailey." He looks at everyone in the room. "I know where she is going."

"Where?" Gideon looks at him.

"Bridgeport. It's a small town near here."

"How do you know that she is going there?" Matt turns to look at Morgan.

"Because he does." Hotchner looks at Morgan. "Okay, people. Let's pack up and head over to Bridgeport." He watches everyone but Gideon leave the room.

"Aaron, what's going on?"

"Nothing, Jason." He starts to walk away.

"Aaron. How does he know where she is or where she is going?" Gideon studies Hotchner. "He's like her, isn't he?"

"He's on our side, and that's all that matters to me." He walks toward the door. "I trust him, and I know that he will lead us to her." He turns to look at Gideon before walking out of the room.

"Hotchner."

"It's Garcia. Listen, in Bridgeport, kids have been disappearing sporadically."

"What do you mean?" Hotchner sits back in his passenger seat as Agent Hanson drives the car.

"I mean that kids have been missing in that town, and the police have not found them. They have no leads and no suspects."

"That's why she is going there. Thanks, Garcia." Hotchner disconnects the call before looking over at Agent Hanson and Matt Parkman. "Kids are disappearing in Bridgeport."

"What do you mean by disappearing?" Matt Parkman looks at Hotchner.

"I mean that they are disappearing. The police there have not found them or their abductor." He dials in a number on his cell phone. "Jason, it's Hotchner. Take everyone over to the Bridgeport police station and set up there. Maybe if we can help them find their missing kids, we'll be able to figure out who Bailey is going after. We'll meet up with you later." He disconnects the call.

"Where are we going?" Agent Hanson glances at him.

"Just into town for now." Hotchner looks at her and then over at Matt Parkman. "Maybe Matt here can get a sense of where Bailey is, and maybe Bailey will lead us to the abductor."

"How do you know what he can do?"

"Audrey, it doesn't matter. He figured it out." Matt sits back in the passenger seat. "Let's just find Bailey, okay?" He turns to look out the window as Hotchner turns to look at him.

The B.A.U. and Detective Liam Jones step into a crowded police station. Parents are shouting at police officers, demanding to know where their kids are. Police officers go through their files and anything else that could lead them to the abductor. Walking through the chaos is Chief Patrick Hennings, and he now walks right toward the agents and detective.

"I didn't think the F.B.I. would get here so fast, but thank you for coming. We could use all the help we can get with these disappearances." He turns to look at the parents, who are held back some of his officers. "The tenth kid just disappeared today." He looks at Gideon.

"Well, we're here to help." Gideon shakes the man's hand. "I'm Agent Gideon. This is Morgan, Prentiss, Reid, J.J., and Detective Liam Jones. Is there somewhere that we can work from?"

"Sure. Follow me." Chief Hennings glances at Detective Jones for a moment before leading the team to a conference room.

"Where are the kids disappearing from?" He turns to look at Morgan.

"Everywhere. They go missing from their school, park, mall, and even their homes. There is no trace of them or any sign of someone taking them."

"The unsub sounds like he is very thorough." The chief now looks at Reid.

"You said that you have ten kids missing now?" Gideon follows the chief into the conference room. "Is there anything that could link the kids together?" The chief stares at him. "Any similarities in their features, personality, or background?"

"They're all about the same age."

"Which is what?" He looks at Prentiss.

"They're all six-years-old. They all have brown hair and brown eyes. They also have one parent." He stops to think on that. "Their parents are either separated, divorced, or one of them is deceased."

"He's not picking them at random." Everyone turns to look at the detective. "He knows which kid he wants."

"It could be a woman." Everyone looks at J.J. "I'm just saying that the unsub doesn't have to be a man."

"In most abduction cases, it is a man." Gideon looks at her. "The detective's right. He's not picking these kids at random."

"Are you saying that our guy knows these kids?" The chief looks at Gideon. "That he is familiar with their situation?"

"That's exactly what I am saying." Gideon turns to look at the conference table. "It must be someone that works close with these kids."

"It could be a teacher, doctor, or even another parent." Morgan looks at him.

"What if it was a tutor?" Everyone looks at Prentiss. "Or a babysitter?"

"Everyone sit tight for a moment, and let me go talk with the parents." The chief walks out of the room.

"Now, we know why Bailey is coming here." Everyone looks at the detective. "She's here to save those kids."

Hotchner, Agent Hanson, and Matt Parkman wander around town, trying to get a sense of where Bailey is going. Their surroundings reflect that of a small town, and most of the townspeople look at them in wonderment or suspicion. Despite the disappearance of the town's kids, there is still a calm in the air.

"She thought something of going to a bridge in Bridgeport."

"A bridge?" Hotchner looks around. "All I see are small stores and homes. Where would there be a bridge?"

"This seems like an old town, right?" They look at Agent Hanson. "What if over time there was redevelopment here? There might have been a bridge, but the town built over it."

"Or around it." Hotchner takes out his cell phone. "Gideon, it's Aaron. Any luck on tracking down the unsub?" He listens for a moment. "Ask the chief about a bridge in town. I think that might be where the kids are being kept." He listens again. "There's a teacher that takes the kids on a field trip to the Old Bridge?" He listens again. "I agree. It might be this teacher. Okay, we'll meet you over there." He gestures for Matt and Agent Hanson to return to the car. "Apparently, it is a regular field trip for a school teacher to take the kids to the Old Bridge, which isn't too far from here."

"You think the teacher is your unsub?" Hotchner looks at Matt.

"If the kids are there, I would say so."

"If they're not there?" He looks at Agent Hanson.

"Then, why would Bailey be going there?"

"Good point." Matt gets into the car.

"Let's hope you're right." Agent Hanson gets into the drivers seat.

"Let's hope so." Hotchner gets into the car.

The sight of an old bridge takes up the view outside of the town. A wooden structure is seen under the bridge like a house. All the windows are smashed in, and the wooden walls are pale with age. The structure is unstable, and at any time, the bridge or the house could go at any minute.

Deep within the structure, the cries of children are heard. Water drips down the walls of a dark room. Splinters of light filter inside, revealing several cages with some children within them.

Somewhere nearby, a shadow is sharpening a knife. The handle is already stained with blood. Red lines trace the blade as the person continues their sharpening.

Outside the structure, Bailey stands on a small hill. Her eyes float down to the structure. She knows the children and their abductor are somewhere within the building.

Suddenly, sirens in the air catch her attention. She turns to see a squad of police cars and black SUVs approaching the location. Quickly, she closes her eyes and disappears a moment later.

Inside the structure, Bailey starts her search for the abductor. She finds herself in a room with several knives. There is a table in front of her with sharpening tools on it.

Before Bailey can react, she is stabbed in the back by the abductor. She grabs the knife quickly and pulls it out. Her eyes dart toward the open door, and she can hear the footsteps of the abductor heading away, probably toward where the children are.

Suddenly, a door nearby explodes open. Morgan and Hotchner lead their group and the police inside. They spot the abductor and aim their guns at him.

"Freeze!" Hotchner points his gun at a man dressed in casual clothes and wearing glasses. "Keep your hands where I can see them!" The man kneels to the ground and places his hands behind his head.

"Are you with her?" Hotchner and Morgan exchange looks.

"With who?" Morgan watches the police place handcuffs on the guy's wrists.

"With the girl that I just stabbed."

"What?" Hotchner approaches him.

"In there." The man points to a room nearby and starts to laugh.

"Get him out of here." Morgan watches the police take the man away.

Entering the small room, Hotchner kneels to the ground and finds a bloody knife. He picks it up and shows it to Morgan. Holding it, he stands back up and looks around. "Where did she go?"

Prentiss and Reid break into another room with more police. They see several kids inside cages. Opening the cages, they pull the children out of them.

"It's okay. You're safe." Prentiss takes one small boy out of a cage.

"Come on. Come on." Reid holds the hand of a little girl and helps her out of a cage.

J.J, Agent Hanson and Detective Liam Jones survey the structure. There is no sign of Bailey Winters. Wherever she went, she is no longer near them.

Stumbling away from the structure, Bailey returns to her hill. She firmly keeps her hand pressed against her back. She can feel blood slowing down, but she is having trouble healing her wound.

"Bailey!"

Barely standing, Bailey turns to see Matt Parkman and Agent Gideon approaching her. Matt Parkman's gun is trained on her. The other man keeps his distance, but his gaze is locked on her.

"Don't move, Bailey!" Matt continues to hold his gun on her. "Just stay right there." He sees the blood on her shirt. "You hurt?"

"I'm fine." She continues to hold her wound.

"He asked if you were hurt." She turns toward Gideon. "It looks like you are." He approaches her.

"Stay away from me!" She backs away.

"Bailey, don't even think it. If I have to, I will shoot you." Matt looks at her. "It's over."

"If you shoot me, Matt, you better kill me."

"Is that what you want?" She turns toward Gideon. "Is that what all this is about? You want your life over?"

"My life is over."

"That's not true. Despite whatever you might think, there will be a way to help you."

"Yeah, let me know when you find that way." Bailey slowly backs away from them.

"You saved those kids in there." She freezes in her steps. "Why save them if you don't care?" She looks at Gideon. "You saved people last night. If those gangs had opened fire on each other, a lot of innocent people could have been hurt or killed." He approaches her. "You're doing the right thing but in the wrong way." He steps in front of Matt Parkman, who continues to point his gun at Bailey. "What happened to him?" Bailey glares in his direction.

"How do you know about him?"

"You stopped killing for five months. It was easy to figure out why." She looks at the ground. "What happened to him?"

"I couldn't save him." She starts to cry. "He wouldn't let me save him!" She looks away. "It's not fair. It's not fair that people like him are killed every day, and in the meantime, we are surrounded by murderers and rapists. It's not fair!"

"It's not your job to take the law into your own hands." She looks at Matt, who slowly lowers his gun. "It's not what he would want." He approaches her. "It's not what I would want for you." He walks past Gideon. "It's not how you should live your life."

"You forget that I am dying. I don't have a choice. I have this life that I must live, or I will die." Matt stands in front of her.

"I know someone that could find a cure. His name is Mohinder Suresh, and I can contact him for you. But you need to surrender, Bailey. You have to give up." Matt looks at her.

"I'm tired." She sits down on the ground. "I'm tired of this life." Gideon and Matt see the blood on the back of her shirt. "It would have been easier if I stayed dead."

"Bailey." Matt reaches for the back of her shirt and lifts it up. "You don't want to die." He sees a small hole in her back. "You never did." He helps her stand up. "However, you can't kill people."

"I can't save them either." She takes out the picture that she had before. "All I ever wanted was him, and he's gone!" She starts to cry.

"I know." Matt holds her. "I know." He looks at Gideon, who nods at him. "It's over, Bailey. It's over." He continues to hold her.

Leading Bailey away in handcuffs, Agent Hanson turns to see Matt standing alone, watching them. Her gaze turns to the B.A.U., who stand with the police and parents of the kidnapped children. Sighing, she puts Bailey in the backseat and then gets in on the driver-side of the car. Turning the ignition on, she waits for Matt to join her.

Detective Liam Jones approaches Matt. He turns to look at Agent Hanson's car. His eyes slowly move to the back passenger window. "I did my part. I was supposed to bring her down."

"That you did." Matt looks at him.

"Well, if it wasn't for me, she would still be killing people." The detective walks away.

"And she would be saving people." The detective turns to look at Matt before walking away.

"What happens to her now?" Matt turns to see Hotchner standing behind him.

"I know a guy that could possibly help her."

"I hope he can. I don't know if the murder charges are going to stick. It's going to be hard to prove that she killed all those people, and it is going to be even harder to prove that she saved people." Hotchner walks closer to him.

"We have her in custody. That's all that matters."

"Are you worried about the people that made it seem like she was dead?"

"I know those people." Matt looks at him. "If they want her, they'll have to go through me to get her."

"She's lucky that she has you." Hotchner holds out his hand. "It was nice working with you, Officer Parkman."

"You can call me Matt." He shakes his hand.

"You can call me Aaron." He walks away. "Take care of yourself."

"You too." Matt walks over to the car. "You too." He watches the kidnapped children reunite with their parents.

Getting into the car, Matt glances at Bailey, who is staring at her picture. He looks at Audrey, who gives him a sympathizing look. Turning to look at the B.A.U., Matt gives them a small wave as the car pulls away from the scene.

END.


End file.
